Yesterday's morning ride was without fault.
I was picked up at the beginning of my window, and transported directly to work.
I arrived at 7:10 a.m. - an hour and twenty minutes early!
Did I make good use of my prompt arrival?
No.
But that's a topic for a different blog post.
The afternoon ride was the kicker.
My ride window opened at 2:30.
I went downstairs and settled into the bench on the library porch.
And I waited.
And waited.
When my window closed at 3 p.m. I called the "Where's My Ride" line.
I was informed that my driver was behind schedule, and I would not be picked up for another thirty minutes.
Sigh
Okay
Deal with it
It's a nice day.
Not too hot yet.
There's a pleasant breeze.
After a few minutes my shady bench was engulfed in sunshine, so I moved to a bench across the narrow street where I could once again be protected from the sun.
And I waited some more.
I waited the thirty minutes that dispatch told me.
Then I called again.
And I heard those dreaded words...
NO-SHOW
I had been left.
Supposedly the driver had arrived, not found me, and moved on with his or her route.
I was in front of the library, like I am every week day.
I did not see a vehicle.
I did not see a driver in a yellow vest.
I did not receive a call.
I was so irritated.
I had been waiting for more than an hour.
What was going on?
I was never given a clear answer.
Apparently the driver was running late, but when he or she finally arrived, they did not find me, so they left.
A very easy solution would have been TO CALL ME.
Obviously the driver were not in the right place, or I would have seen them, or they would have seen me.
JUST CALL ME.
If you, Capital Metro, refuse to give us the technology where we can track our rides like we can with ride shares, then please CALL when you can't find a client. Because Capital Metro does not call the client when a driver is running late or lost, the client has to call the "Where's My Ride" line and wait for more information. It is an outdated way to find out what is happening. Sometimes the hold time is more than ten minutes. It is a waste of my time, and it is frustrating.
Would it not be reasonable to assume that if I called at 3:00 to ask where my ride was, that I would still be waiting whenever the driver arrived? Okay, I guess there is a possibility that I gave up and ordered a ride share, or asked a friend to pick me up. But I wouldn't do that. I would have called again and said, "I'm not waiting anymore. Just cancel me." The one time I did abandon my ride was when my bus to Houston was leaving in 20 minutes, and the dispatcher left me on hold. I had no choice but to hang up and make a run (brisk walk) for the bus station. But that was a rare occurrence.
Related note: I understand this is my responsibility, but I had no food or drink with me. I don't need sustenance for my afternoon trip if I get home at a reasonable time. Yesterday was not reasonable. I managed to lick the remnants of a melted bite-sized chocolate bar that had been in my jacket pocket. (For clarification, I licked the wrapper. I didn't lick the inside of my jacket pocket. Just in case that part of the story was unclear.) That was all I had with me. I wouldn't call that food, but it was something.
Because I was no-showed, I got home at 5:15, nearly THREE HOURS after my ride window opened.
UNACCEPTABLE
librarianintx
No comments:
Post a Comment